Battery Reconditioning

Battery reconditioning is a way of prolonging the life span of various types of batteries. When reconditioning a battery you are essentially bringing old batteries back to their original working condition – restoring them to their full capacity.

Unfortunately, all types of batteries decrease in performance over time, whether they be laptop batteries, car batteries, or everyday batteries. The rate of this decline in performance largely depends on the type and quality of the battery.

And let’s face it, replacing batteries can be expensive.

You could pay anything from $60 to over $300 for a new car battery, depending on the type of battery required and its quality.

Battery reconditioning is a relatively simple process which can save you money.

Professionals working in relevant fields already know that reconditioning a car battery is an excellent and inexpensive way to extend its life, and some mechanics recondition used batteries and re-sell them at a higher price.

So not only is it possible to save money by reconditioning batteries, it’s even possible to make money. The complete process can be found in the battery reconditioning guide.

Many people aren’t aware that it’s possible to recondition an existing battery. In the case of car batteries in particular, most can be reconditioned relatively easily, even if the battery is quite aged.

By reconditioning your car battery, you can expect to get up to five years or more battery life!

Battery reconditioning is also great for the environment – so it’s a win/win! By reconditioning old batteries you can save money and help the environment.

If you are the “hands-on” type and feel so inclined, you can recondition old batteries yourself.

If you are reconditioning your car battery yourself, you need to take necessary safety precautions. You may come into contact with battery acid, which can burn skin and ruin clothing. So before you start, ensure you have a pair of quality neoprene rubber gloves to protect your hands, and a durable apron to protect your clothing. Safety glasses are also a good idea. You also need to ensure you work in a well-ventilated area – outside is preferable.

What else do you need? A battery charger, Epsom salt, distilled water, a turkey baster, and a funnel – that’s it.

If you do decide to recondition an old battery yourself, make sure you adhere to safety precautions and source some step-by-step instructions to follow.

The other great news is it’s not just car batteries that can be reconditioned.

Laptop batteries are also able to be reconditioned…in fact most commonly used batteries can be reconditioned.

Unfortunately, laptop batteries can often not perform as well as they once did, and it’s quite normal for the battery life to diminish over time.

As with car batteries, laptop batteries can be expensive – especially if the laptop is an older model. So, once again, by reconditioning an aged laptop battery, you can extend the battery life, save money and help the environment.

Before you attempt to recondition a laptop battery, it’s best to first determine why the battery isn’t lasting as long as it should.

The laptop battery may need reconditioning if there is a discrepancy between how long the battery is actually lasting compared to what the battery monitoring system in the computer is estimating it should last. This battery monitoring system may be in-built in to the computer, or may be an additional software requirement. The monitoring system tells you how long the battery IS lasting and long it SHOULD last.

As in car batteries, different types of laptops have different types of batteries. As well as different brands, there are different models within the same brands, so the right battery is needed for the specific laptop.

Additionally, not all laptop batteries will benefit from reconditioning (such as Lithium Ion batteries). So it’s important to check what type of battery is in the laptop to determine if

a) it needs reconditioning, and

b) if it actually can be reconditioned.

Reconditioning a laptop battery is relatively simple and shouldn’t take more than a few hours.

Steps to reconditioning the laptop battery include:-

• Changing the power settings
• Fully charging the laptop battery
• Unplugging the laptop (drain completely)
• Re-charge the laptop battery
• Reset settings

As with reconditioning batteries, if you are attempting the process yourself, make sure you follow safety precautions and source a step-by-step process on how to recondition the battery effectively.

Unfortunately, not all laptops batteries can be reconditioned, whether it be because the battery is broken, it’s the wrong type of battery, or it’s too old. In these cases, you may need to simply bite the bullet and purchase a new laptop battery. Another option is to keep your laptop plugged in and charging the majority of the time. This way, the battery isn’t being used.

As well as car batteries and laptop batteries, practically any type of battery can be reconditioned, including deep cycle/gel type batteries, vehicle batteries, batteries for medical equipment, batteries for warehousing equipment, and solar and back-up batteries.

So next time you need new batteries for whatever purpose, remember to keep battery reconditioning in mind!